Dive Brief:

• Nearly one out of every six young people in the U.S. is obese, and if current trends continue, more than half of today’s children will be obese by the age of 35. These are among the findings published in a report by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. These youngsters, the report says, face increased chances of having diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure.
• The report looks at children between the ages of 10 and 17 and finds that 15.8% are obese. Mississippi has the worst obesity rate, at 26.1% and Utah has the lowest, at 8.7%. The disparities between different racial and ethnic groups are equally stark. Obesity rates for black and Hispanic youth are 22.5% and 20.6% respectively, while the rates for white and Asian youth are 12.5% and 6.4% respectively.
• To combat the problem, the foundation calls on policymakers to prioritize obesity prevention programs, and to make healthy school lunch options and physical education programs more available to school children.

Dive Insight:

A key factor in reducing obesity is physical exercise. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other leading experts recommend 60 minutes every day, but for public schools that can be a challenge when time constraints and budget cuts come into play. In addition, with the onset of cell phones, computers and social media, young people have become increasingly sedentary.

According to Active Schools, the current iteration of former First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move initiative, only 20% of school districts require daily recess, six states require physical education in every grade, and two out of three children are inactive. 

To counteract this trend, Active Schools recommends a wide range of options that can be incorporated into classrooms, including morning warm-up activities, sit-stand desks, walking while learning and physical activity breaks such as this video prompting students through a series of exercises while teaching them about healthy food. In addition, some schools are considering low-cost alternatives to football and other more traditional after-school sports. Among the options are flag football, bass fishing, volleyball and ultimate Frisbee.